The Dogs of Toronto Animal Services South

Miniature Pinscher Mickey barks at me through his kennel door like he ain't afraid of nuthin' but then when I open the door to take him out for his walk, he runs to the back and he's shivering and he's like, omigodomigodomigodomigodomigod.

I carry him outside and it's obvious he's never been outside before (he's another puppy mill dog - a breeder) and he freezes up. I pick him up to move him to a sunnier location so he doesn't get cold and when I pick him up, he's got this funny expression on his face, an open mouthed grimace like someone starting the descent on a roller coaster ride.

Poor guy. I shouldn't be making fun of him. His whole life he's been king of his two foot by two foot by two foot box which he occasionally shared with his two girl dogs harem and now he's just another little dog in a big dog world all on his lonesome. This shrimpkin's got spirit, though, and he'll come around.

The next time I walk in front of his kennel, he doesn't bark. He just stands there and wags his nubby tail.

The best way to check on the adoption status of this dog (and other dogs and cats and other small domestic animals) is to visit Toronto Animal Services or call 416 338 6668 for the Toronto Animal Services South shelter.

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A request

The reason for this blog is to help get specific dogs adopted from TAS but equally important is to try to normalize the idea of shelter dogs being just as good and just as desirable as any other dogs including those which are regularly merchandised by backyard breeders, puppy millers and those few remaining pet store owners who still feel a need to sell live animals. The single greatest stigma shelter animals still face is the belief that shelter animals are substandard animals. Anyone who has had enough experience with shelter animals knows this is untrue but the general public hasn't had the same experiences you've had. They see a nice dog photo in a glossy magazine and too many of them would never think of associating that dog with a dog from a shelter. After all, no one abandons perfectly good dogs, right? Unfortunately, as we all know, perfectly good dogs are abandoned all the time.

The public still too often associates shelter dogs with images of beat up, sick, dirty, severely traumatized animals and while we definitely sometimes see victims such as these, they are certainly not the majority and, regardless, even the most abused animals can very often be saved and made whole again.

Pound Dogs sometimes discusses the sad histories some of the dogs have suffered. For the most part, though, it tries to present the dogs not as victims but as great potential family members. The goal is to raise the profiles of animals in adoption centers so that a potential pet owner sees them as the best choice, not just as the charity choice.

So, here's the favour I'm asking. Whenever you see a dog picture on these pages you think is decent enough, I'd like you to consider sharing it on Facebook or any other social media sites you're using (I know many of you do this already and thank you for that). And when you share it, please mention that the dog in the photo is a shelter dog like so many other shelter dogs waiting for a home. If we can get even five percent of the pet buying public to see shelter dogs differently, to see how beautiful they are and how wonderful they are, and to consider shelter dogs as their first choice for a new family member, we can end the suffering of homeless pets in this country.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------